As for you, Mr Wolenczak, you are grounded!
by Jenny wrens
Summary: This one shot story takes place in season one after the Episode called Brothers and sisters. Captain Bridger grounded Lucas at the end of the awards ceremony because of stealing a launch. My story just gives some insights on how Lucas might have felt about the Captain disciplining him. I love the father/son relationship between them.


**_Story takes place after the episode called Brothers and Sisters in Season One. Lucas had helped a teen girl named Cleo by stealing a launch to return to rescue her brother. Captain Bridger was not impressed, and the episode ended with him grounding Lucas_.**

 **Title: As for you, Mr. Wolenczek, you are grounded.**

 _On board Seaquest, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean._

Lucas sat on his bunk reflecting on the morning events. He reached up and touched his lips remembering how Cleo's warm lips felt against his. It was the first time he had ever kissed a girl, and his emotions were all over the place. His heart ached with loneliness now that she had left the ship. He hadn't given much thought to how much he was missing being a 15 year old on board a fully commissioned military vessel. While he was well aware he was a teenager, he kept so busy with computer diagnostics and his Vocorder program with Darwin that he never took much time to think about the opposite gender. Cleo had so quickly entered into his heart and mind that he hadn't stopped to think of the consequences.

Lucas ran his hand through his messy blond hair and felt his pulse race as he thought of the conversation between Captain Bridger and himself after the award ceremony. Lucas felt angry and somewhat embarrassed that the Captain had said he was grounded in front of the entire crew and Cleo. The pretty brunette had given him a warm smile of sympathy when it happened. Both teenagers had vowed to keep in contact after she left the vessel. Lucas wanted to ask the Captain how he could contact Cleo, but now he was too angry to speak with him. Captain Bridger had refused to discuss matters afterwards and had sent Lucas to his quarters.

A soft knocking above his head captured Lucas' attention briefly. Lucas looked up to see the dolphin hovering in the aqua tube shaking his head up and down. Lucas smiled in spite of himself. He knew Darwin was trying to get him to come and play with him. Lucas knelt on his bed and touched the aqua duct where Darwin hovered looking at him. Darwin seemed to almost smile at him. Sometimes, it felt like Darwin was his only friend on Seaquest. The aquatic animal always seemed to know when Lucas was feeling upset or sad. With a sudden urge to talk to his friend, Lucas jumped off his bed, made some hand motions to Darwin and ran out of his room.

Lucas raced down the corridors and down the stairs bumping into people and mumbling apologies without stopping. He turned a corner and ran smack into Commander Ford who grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Slow down Lucas! Geez, you nearly knocked me off my feet. Where's the fire? Shouldn't you be in your quarters?" demanded Ford in irritation.

"Sorry, Commander," mumbled Lucas shaking Fords hand off his arm and continuing his pace to the moonpool.

Jonathan stared at the kid as he raced off. He shook his head. Lucas was someone that perplexed him. The kid was highly intelligent and had shown how useful he was aboard Seaquest numerous times. Jonathan just had such a hard time identifying with the unruly teen. Lucas could be a great kid, but he always seemed to be running around half-cocked and in trouble with the Captain. The kid never seemed to learn his lesson. Jonathan continued to the bridge quietly reflecting on Lucas and shaking his head.

Lucas reached the moonpool, stripped off his shirt and dove in the pool with Darwin. The water was freezing, and Lucas knew he wasn't supposed to go in the pool without a wet suit. He just felt like he needed to clear his head. Darwin swam around him with excitement. The happy clicks and whistles could be heard around the entire room. Officers in the room looked on with smirks as they silently watched while continuing their work.

"Lucas, what do you THINK you are you doing?" said a voice sternly. Lucas looked up from embracing Darwin to see Dr. Westphalen staring at him with concern. Lucas shrugged with a smirk as the doctor bid him to get out of the moonpool quickly. The doctor wrapped a towel around the shivering teen as he stood dripping beside her.

"You know you shouldn't go swimming with Darwin without a wetsuit, Lucas. What were you thinking?" Kristin scolded. Lucas shrugged again and looked sheepishly at the woman glaring at him. She was almost like a mother to Lucas; he loved and respected her a great deal. However, his irritation with the day complete with too much quasi parental interference caused him to pull away.

"I was playing with Darwin!' He stated crossly. Lucas walked over to grab the vocorder and switched it on. Suddenly the chirps and clicks that Darwin was making flooded the room with words. Lucas leaned over the moolpool and stroked Darwins melon head lovingly.

"Lucas play with Darwin. Lucas sad," clicked Darwin.

"I'm fine, Darwin. Just let me get a wetsuit to make the doctor happy," said Lucas sarcastically while eying Kristen. Kristin shook her head in exasperation. She walked over to Lucas shaking her finger at his nose.

"Oh no, you don't. YOU, my friend, are going to take a hot shower right now!" she said with finality. She reached for the vocorder and put one hand on her hip expectantly. Lucas looked up to her and growled. She raised her eyebrows waiting to be obeyed. It was a very rare instant when any man or woman dared to disobey her orders. Kristen commanded respect from everyone on the ship, including the Captain.

Lucas handed her the vocorder reluctantly but didn't move. He turned back to Darwin and continued stroking the dolphin feeling anger further rising within him. Darwin continued to clicking and enjoying the attention from Lucas. Lucas felt himself relax when he was with Darwin, but the doctor wasn't going to allow him to stay without saying anything to make her leave. He felt her touch his arm. He yanked his arm away and turned to face her angrily.

"I said I was going to put on a wetsuit and swim with Darwin! Now leave me alone!" he snapped at her in anger. The doctor stepped back in surprise.

"I thought I said you were grounded Mr. Wolenczak," said a deep voice. Kristin and Lucas both turned around to see Captain Nathan Bridger enter the moonpool deck. Lucas felt his pulse race as the Captain looked at him sternly. He was silently hoping that the Captain had not heard him speak rudely to the doctor.

"I'm thinking you need to apologize to the good doctor here for your rudeness, and explain to me why you are not in your quarters like you were asked this morning," said Nathan looking into the teenagers eyes deeply. Lucas' eye contact dropped, and he looked at his feet. Busted. He mumbled an apology and attempted to walk from the deck. Nathan grabbed the boy by the arm securely and lifted his chin to get his eye contact.

"Lucas…" he said with a firm warning in his voice.

"Alright!" he snapped and yanked away. "I'm sorry for being rude! Are you happy now?" he snapped at the Captain, vehemently. Captain Bridger did not show any emotion on his face as he looked at the teen standing in front of him. Nathan had raised a hormonal teen boy already and was familiar with the brooding nature of the beast. He crossed his arms sternly.

"How about circling that plane around the airport and landing again," suggested the captain patiently. Lucas sighed and felt his temper rising again. All he wanted was to swim with Darwin and have some time to think; everyone was making a federal case out of nothing.

"Just leave me alone!" he shouted at both the adults staring at him and stormed off the deck. He was glad that the captain appeared to let him leave unscathed.

Once off the deck, Lucas took off at full speed looking for some place to hide. He knew every nook and cranny of the ship and more than one hiding place. Being that he wasn't fully grown, it was easier to find small places to hide. It wasn't the first time he had decided to hide from people onboard. One time he had hidden for a week, and no one found him. It wasn't like anyone was all that worried. Where could he go when they were hundreds of miles under the ocean? It made running away extremely difficult. Lucas continued running and just as he took a sharp turn around the corner, he ran smack into Commander Ford again sending the papers he was holding flying across the hall.

"Lucas, for Pete's sake, don't you EVER walk?" snapped the Commander in frustration. He stared at Lucas and at his papers all over the floor of the hallway deck. Lucas shrugged and attempted to pick up the commanders papers. Ford accepted the crumpled papers scowling at the teen in front of him.

"Sorry," mumbled Lucas awkwardly. He walked quickly around the next corner and took off running again. The day just continued to get worse.

He desperately needed to find someplace to hide and release some steam. He checked his watch and realized it was nearly supper time so the exercise room would be empty. He rerouted himself and entered the exercise room, locking the door behind him. He reached for the gloves and started hammering the punch bag. He felt some of the anger drain from him after awhile. He worked himself into a sweat, and he felt his hands tingling inside the gloves. In time he plopped on the ground out of breath. He felt his heart beat in his chest rapidly and he felt his emotions balance. His anger was still brewing, but he felt in control again. Remorse immediately struck him as he thought of his altercation with Kristin and the Captain. He groaned in spite of himself. Captain Bridger was not going to let it drop once he found him. Lucas sighed.

Cleo's face came to his mind again. He could hear her soft voice and see her in his mind's eye.

"Cleo…" he said her name out loud. It sounded so wonderful to his ears. She was completely amazing. She had survived three years on a ship without any parents. She and her friend, Zach, had managed to take care of themselves and four other little kids. THREE YEARS! No one told them what to do or how to do things. Lucas was in awe. Cleo was so strong. It hadn't taken long for her to convince him to take her back to their ship. He was persuaded as well that she was the only one who could convince Zack to give up and come aboard Seaquest. If only he hadn't lost his footing in that stupid ball pit! Lucas groaned at the memory. He sat up only to have Zach's gun pointed at his head, and Cleo looking at both of them in alarm. Then to come back to the ship and have the captain embarrass him like a child. Lucas felt anger burn in him again.

A knock at the door captured Lucas' attention. He looked up to see the Captains face in the window. Lucas sighed and groaned. Figures, he thought. It figured that the Captain would guess his whereabouts so quickly. Likely the captain noticed that he wasn't at the mess hall and came looking for him. The captain always was after Lucas to not skip meals. That thought made him feel even angrier. The constant babysitting was making him feel crazy. Before he came to Seaquest, no one in his life cared about what he did or where he went. Part of him longed for that freedom again. The knock became more persistent.

"I'm not going away, Lucas. Open the door, please," said the muffled voice resolutely.

"NO!"

"Now, Mr. Wolenczak," stated the voice with authority. Lucas groaned and stood up. Sometimes being on military ship sucked royally, he thought to himself. He was sure this was his father's way of punishing him and thinking he would learn discipline.

"Go away!" said Lucas standing in front of the door looking at the Captains face through the glass.

"The door, Lucas," said the Captain looking down at the handle.

"Grr…ugh FINE!" snapped Lucas unlocking the door and backing away as the captain came in closing the door behind him.

"Thank you. Now, let's have a little chat shall we."

The captain walked across the room, pulled out a chair and sat down facing Lucas. Lucas groaned again and turned away from him. He felt his resentment rising again, and he wanted to try to keep it in check. Anytime he lost his temper with the captain things never went well. He wanted to do his best to remain calm.

"I thought I said you were grounded Mr Wolenczek, or didn't I make myself clear enough to you?" began Nathan.

"You aren't my father. You have no right…" muttered Lucas under his breath quietly.

"I would appreciate it if you would face me and look me in the eye when we are talking, son," said Nathan patiently.

"I said you aren't my father…" said the teenager without moving.

"I never said I was…"

"You can't ground me like some child…"

"The last time I looked you were 15 years old, or did you suddenly age to manhood and I didn't get the memo," stated Nathan, with a twinkle in his eye, trying to keep the mood light. "Lucas, turn around and look at me, please."

Lucas sighed and obeyed. He looked at the captain feeling extremely frustrated. He wasn't a child, and he didn't understand why everyone seemed to treat him like he was. He had never felt the bite of embarrassment quite like he had when the captain said what he did in front of Cleo.

"Look, I didn't think you were serious about it okay?" snapped Lucas, punching the bag with his fist angrily.

"Well, I was," stated Nathan firmly. "Until I tell you otherwise, you are to remain in your quarters."

"Why? What did I do that was so wrong?" Lucas asked petulantly.

Captain Bridger raised an eyebrow at him, trying to gauge the boy. Bridger stood up and walked over to Lucas putting his hands on his shoulders firmly. Lucas shook his hands off and backed away. Bridger watched the sullen boy pull away, and he sighed.

"You really need me to spell it out for you? Fine, I will. You misled—no, TRICKED,-an officer aboard my ship and took—no, STOLE—a launch without permission and put yourself and a young girl in harm's way. Clear enough for you Mr. Wolenczak?"

"Cleo was the only one who could convince Zach to come aboard, Captain, and I was only trying to help. Isn't that what Seaquest is commissioned to do? Help?" Lucas shouted crossly.

"Yes, it is. But it was the way you went about helping that I didn't like—hence the reason why you are grounded. Cleo was not the only one who could handle the situation. She, like you, is a child and her responsibility was to obey orders to stay on the ship. I think you were there with a gun pointed at your head when I arrived weren't you? Yes, you were! I was perfectly capable to handle the situation WITHOUT your help," stated Nathan firmly but gently. Lucas punched the bag a couple more times and then pounded his fists on the table beside Bridger. He growled in frustration, gritting his teeth.

"Just leave me alone already!" he muttered. He pounded the table a few more times for emphasis and then cleared the contents onto the floor. Nathan looked at the pile of equipment on the floor and sighed. Lucas' outburst was bordering on a full-fledged teenage temper tantrum. Nathan had dealt with more than a few in his lifetime with own son, Robert, who was now an adult. He was thankful for the experience now but hadn't relished it at the time. Nathan looked at Lucas and crossed his arms with authority.

"That's enough, Lucas. Calm yourself and talk to me, or this conversation is over," stated Nathan with resolution. Lucas opened his mouth to protest, but Nathan held up his hand to forestall him. The Captain glanced at the floor a minute and reached to pick up the boxing gloves strewn on the floor. Lucas seemed like he wanted a fight so the captain intended to give him one. He looked at Lucas and tossed him the gloves. Lucas caught them without thinking and stared at the captain questioningly. Nathan pulled another pair of gloves on his hands and threw a few jabs at the bag, dancing around on his feet.

"You seem like you want to pick a fight, Lucas, so put on the gloves and have at it," said the Captain with a smirk on his face. Lucas stood stock still with his mouth open as he watched the captain jab the punch bag a few times and then jab at the air. He didn't know what to think.

"Well, Mr Wolenczek?" said the Captain, waiting for Lucas to comply with his offer. Lucas continued to stare. The captain could see the boy trying to comprehend his next move. The captain tried to encourage him by messing up his hair with his gloved hand.

"Cut it out!" snapped the confused boy backing away. Nathan came closer and messed his hair again and followed it up by covering the boys face with the glove and giving him a gentle shove. Lucas lost his footing on the equipment still on the floor and landed on his backside.

"Guess you shouldn't have cleared the table, umm, so thoroughly," chuckled Nathan, good-naturedly. Lucas suddenly sprang up, pulling on the gloves and took a few swings at Nathan. The boy's unexpected movement caused Nathan to jump back in surprise nearly tripping over the tossed equipment as well. With painful ease, Nathan was able to dodge the jabs the boy threw at him. The angry blonde teenager weighed about 130 pounds soak and wet and could hardly be called athletic. Nathan could see the anger on the teens face as he blocked sharp jabs to his face and abdomen. Several minutes went by as the boy tossed punch after punch at him, trying in vain to get one good shot in at the captain. Sweat formed on the teens' brow as he danced clumsily around throwing haphazard jabs. Nathan tried hard to keep the humour from showing on his face. Lucas was angry at him. That much was for certain and this was a good, healthy way for Lucas to release his emotions. Maybe if he wore himself out enough, he would be ready to talk.

Lucas was getting more and more frustrated as he continued to throw jabs at the captain. He felt tears burn in the back of his eyes making him feel even more annoyed. Why did his father make him come on this stupid submarine in the first place? There was absolutely nothing normal on this ship for a teenager. There were no other kids, no GIRLS, and the food sucked. Everywhere he turned there was another adult telling him what to do, and it was making him crazy. He had reached his limit, and he wasn't going to listen to any of them any longer. Feeling a sudden burst of rage, he threw a hard jab at the captain, and to his dismay, it connected with the man's chin sending him reeling backwards. The man looked at him in utter amazement as he reached to rub his chin tenderly. Lucas dropped his hands to his side in horror when he realized he had just punched the captain in the face. He dropped his chin in shame and pulled off the gloves, dropping them to the floor.

"Hey, don't stop now! We were just getting somewhere," said Nathan rubbing his chin. Lucas shook his head, walking to the chair and sitting down in defeat. Nathan smirked in spite of himself. The boy was not a fighter, and Nathan respected that. Lucas was a soft hearted kid, and it was obvious in how he treated the other crew members and especially his dolphin, Darwin. Nathan pulled off his gloves and continued to rub his chin thoughtfully.

"You have a good arm, Mr. Wolenczak," began Nathan.

"I'm sorry, Captain," mumbled Lucas genuinely, all the fire leaving him, still refusing to look up.

"Lucas, look at me please," stated Nathan warmly. "Please talk to me, and let's work this out okay?" Nathan watched the boy nod but still not look up.

"Am I a member of your crew, sir?" asked the teen quietly.

Nathan grabbed some towels from the shelf, wiped sweat from his brow and sat down across from the teen, offering a towel to him as well. The boy took the towel sullenly.

"You are."

"Is it normal to 'ground' your crew members, Captain?" asked the teen still not looking making eye contact. Nathan sighed. The kid was not going to accept this discipline from him easily.

"Lucas, you're a 15 year old boy, not a 30 year old military officer. Did you want me to throw you in the brig?"

"Is that what you would have done to Ben?" asked Lucas, suddenly looking up and making eye contact. Nathan laughed in spite of himself.

"I probably would have grounded Lt. Kreig and made him scrub the decks with his toothbrush," stated Nathan with a gleam in his eye. Lucas also smirked, running his hand through his messy hair.

"Okay, maybe Ben was a bad example," admitted Lucas.

"Look Lucas, I get that you are not pleased that I gave you a boy's consequence but, Lucas, like it or not, YOU are still a boy and not a military officer. I am your guardian, and I do have to give you consequences when you break rules. You can't simply do as you please. You have to obey me for two reasons. One, I am the Captain, and two, I am your guardian slash parent on this ship. What you did was very dangerous, whether you think so or not!" stated Nathan firmly yet still with kindness.

"Well, you could have waited until Cleo and other kids had left the freakin deck!" Lucas shouted, forgetting himself. His face burned red as the memory came back to him. He still felt humiliated when he remembered Cleo's sympathetic glance at him before leaving the vessel. It was Nathan's turn to drop his jaw. He finally understood what was bothering Lucas. In the five months since Lucas arrived, he had on more than one occasion called him out on his behaviour in front of crew members, but Lucas hadn't batted an eyelash. This time it was personal because he has been called out in front of his peers. It was entirely a different matter all together. It was also the first time Nathan had felt the need to really discipline Lucas.

"Lucas, do you honestly believe that Cleo didn't know you were in trouble with me? I scolded both of you when I arrived back to the ship. I was not impressed with her behaviour either, but I did understand it. She was used to making decisions for her crew. Zack was like the captain and she, the Lt Commander. It's going to take Cleo and Zach awhile to remember that they are just kids and can let the adults in their life take over…" began Nathan sympathetically.

"You still could have waited," insisted Lucas. Nathan sighed and nodded giving in. He knew he was going to have to give in to the boy if he was going to get anywhere with him.

"Okay, Lucas, I'm sorry. You will need to extend some grace to me as well. I've been a captain for a long time, and I'm a little rusty at this parenting gig. I still believe Cleo was not surprised, but I'm sorry I embarrassed you in front of her. I promise to not ground you in front of your peers again," smirked Nathan with a playful grin on his face. Lucas laughed out loud this time at the captain's words. The ridiculousness of the circumstances dawned on him, and he noticeably relaxed.

The two males sat quietly looking at each other for several minutes until Lucas broke the silence.

"What does it even mean anyways? "

"What does what mean?"

"I live on a submarine hundreds of miles under the ocean. How much more… uh, grounded can I get? I mean it seems like my father has grounded me indefinitely," stated Lucas sadly. Nathan reached out and rested his hand on the teen's knee affectionately. Nathan didn't understand Lawrence Wolenczak's decision anymore than Lucas did. All Nathan was told was that Lucas had behavioural issues, and his father had wanted them under control but didn't have the time or desire to do it himself. In the five months since arriving on Seaquest, Nathan had not seen any serious problems. Lucas seemed like a decent, polite kid who took orders well. He was intelligent and handled himself maturely most of the time. He was friendly and kind to everyone and had fit in well with the entire crew. In fact, the incident with Cleo had been the first real incident of serious misbehaviour that Nathan had seen from Lucas. Nathan simply wanted to nip it in the bud. While the military science vessel was completely safe on most occasions, he couldn't have the teenager thinking he could disobey without consequence.

"I never meant it to be longer than the day, to be honest. I just wanted you to go and give some thought to your actions. I had intended to discuss it further when I was off duty," replied Bridger giving the boy's knee a gentle squeeze and shrugging his shoulders. "I guess we are both new at this aren't we?" Lucas nodded.

"I'm sorry I got so angry," Lucas said quietly.

"Forget about it. However, I do want you to find the doctor and offer her a real apology. I don't want to hear you speak to her the way you did EVER again. It was extremely disrespectful and you know it!"

Lucas cringed and nodded dropping his chin again. He knew the captain was right. He felt horrible when he thought about how he had treated Kristen. Dr. Westphalen was always there for him and had his back even when the captain was upset with him. She did tend to grate on his nerves though when she constantly reminded him to get enough sleep and to eat more.

"How about we clean this place up a little and head to the mess hall and grab a bite? You can see if Kristin is around plus I know she will be thrilled to see you eating. Then I believe you owe me a little grounding time in your quarters for the rest of the evening. Capisce?" stated the captain. Lucas nodded and began picking up the equipment on the floor. In comfortable silence, the two cleaned up the exercise room and tossed their soiled towels in the hamper.

"Captain?"

"Yes, Lucas,"

"Would you ask Admiral Noyce how I can contact Cleo?" asked Lucas feeling his face turn crimson. Nathan looked at Lucas and patted his shoulder thoughtfully.

"I'm pretty sure something can be arranged. Let's just give Cleo a few weeks to get adjusted okay? I'm sure she will welcome a call from you," said Nathan with a smile. "Now, let's go get something to eat. All this exercise has made me famished." Lucas smiled and nodded while walking to the door.

"How about a race, Captain?" suggested Lucas suddenly with mischief sparkling in his eyes. Nathan laughed in amusement. Just as he opened his mouth to warn against it, Lucas took off running down the corridor and bumped smack into Commander Ford for the third time that day, as he rounded the corner.

"Lucas!" growled the commander in irritation backing into the wall to keep his balance.

"Oops, sorry, Commander. Uh…umm...see you at the mess hall, Captain," mumbled Lucas and ran off disappearing around the corner.

Jonathan looked at Captain Bridger for sympathy only to see him laugh. Nathan clapped the commander on the shoulder compassionately. Their eyes met for moment and then they both laughed as they followed Lucas to the mess hall together.


End file.
